Global fashion brands are struggling with billions of dollars worth of unsold inventory. Mostly, these brands avoid reselling in core markets like the UK and the U.S. to prevent market cannibalization. Meanwhile, emerging markets like Africa heavily rely on secondhand clothing imports, but 30% to 40% of these items are deemed unusable upon arrival, leading to […]
For many emerging market economies, remittances have become a lifeline. Inflows surpassed $669 billion in 2023, according to World Bank research, and they now represent significant portions of GDP in these countries, often outpacing foreign direct investment as the primary source of foreign exchange. Traditional banks and agents maintain a firm grip on the remittance
LemFi moves remittances further into Asia and Europe with $53M in new funding Read More »
Africa’s tech ecosystem just got a boost of attention, with South Africa’s TymeBank and Nigeria’s Moniepoint both raising funds in recent weeks at valuations of over $1 billion and joining the coveted unicorn pantheon. But those valuations don’t just reflect investor confidence. They signal the success they’ve had in taking disruptive fintech models originally developed
Africa’s newest fintech unicorns are winning by keeping their feet on the ground Read More »
Juicyway, an African fintech that leverages stablecoin technology to power fast and cheap cross-border payments, is launching out of stealth after processing over $1 billion in transaction volume for thousands of African businesses over the last three years. The fintech claims to have processed over 25,000 transactions, generating $1.3 billion in total payment volume (TPV)
The influential accelerator Y Combinator made a splash in Africa in 2020 when it shined its light on the market and began to accept startups from the region into its cohorts. The move was huge: in this nascent market, startups especially rely on programs like these to find their feet and connect with investors, and
As YC retreats from Africa, alumni launch accelerators to fill the gap Read More »
A fintech from Ivory Coast — part of one of the most economically challenged and financially fragmented regions in the world — has raised funding for an ambitious goal: to become the ‘Stripe for Francophone Africa’. HUB2, as the startup is called, already works with some 55 neobanks, payment companies, remittance companies and cryptocurrency providers,
HUB2 banks $8.5M to become the ‘Stripe for Francophone Africa’ Read More »
An African fintech that has grown on the strength of a 30,000-strong team of direct salespeople is moving into profit country by sub-Saharan country. Now, M-KOPA, the pay-as-you-go asset financing platform serving 5 million underbanked Africans, is racing toward a major milestone: surpassing an annual revenue rate of $400 million by year-end. The London-headquartered fintech
Financial inclusion drives African fintech M-KOPA to $400M in ARR Read More »
Pan-African venture capital firm Janngo Capital has closed its oversubscribed second fund at €73 million ($78 million), 20% more than its target of €60 million (~$63 million). In 2022, Janngo Capital reached the first close of its second fund at €26 million, receiving capital from several limited partners, including the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
African ‘gender-equal’ VC Janngo Capital closes second fund at $78M Read More »
Google’s Africa Investment Fund is a new investor in African fintech Moniepoint, which just closed $110 million in new financing. The Series C round, which involved an equity sale, per Bloomberg, was led by Development Partners International’s African Development Partners (ADP) III fund. Other investors, including African private equity firm Verod Capital and global impact
Google, DPI backs African fintech Moniepoint in $110M round Read More »
Africa’s blockchain and crypto space is receiving a much-needed venture boost during a tough time for startups, some of which have retreated from specific markets or completely shut down due to issues like harsh regulatory environment, macros or downright mismanagement. The boost involves Yellow Card, the U.S.-founded crypto platform launched in Nigeria in 2019, which
